Chinese drywall maker enters litigation

It’s the first known court appearance in the Chinese drywall litigation in this country by Taishan Gypsum Co., Ltd., a company owned by the Chinese government.

The notice of appeal was filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, where Judge Eldon Fallon presides over numerous drywall claims from Virginia, Florida and Louisiana.

According to the notice of appeal, the Chinese company is represented by lawyers at Hogan Lovells in New York and the New Orleans firm of Stanley, Reuter, Ross, Thornton & Alford. Calls to counsel were not immediately returned.

Richard Serpe, the Norfolk lawyer who represents hundreds of Virginia drywall claimants, said things are happening fast in the world of Chinese drywall litigation. The initial default judgment would have become final on Monday, he said. Two weeks ago, he moved to have the default judgment against Taishan certified as a class action on behalf of all Virginia claimants.

The fast pace of developments helps to reassure his struggling clients, Serpe said. “It gives a sense of hope to these people to hang on,” he said. “We are hell bent on getting compensation for these victims.”